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nstringham

Communities of Practice: The Organizational Frontier - 2 views

  • he organic, spontaneous, and informal nature of communities of practice makes them resistant to supervision and interference
  • managers cannot mandate communities of practice
  • may create communities of practice as a way of maintaining connections with peers.
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  • Communities of practice, on the other hand, are informal—they organize themselves, meaning they set their own agendas and establish their own leadership.
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    This article by Wenger and Snyder in the Harvard Business Review is a great reflection of a community of practice (CoP) by the creators themselves in a well-known publication. While the article is in-depth and covers every aspect of a CoP, the included chart may have been the most helpful part of this article to really break down a CoP and the difference between that and other groups.
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    This article was very informative. Two things that stood out the most for me were: one - the table outlining the engagement, life of network, etc. of Cops, formal work groups, project teams, and informal networks, and two - when Wenger and Snyder said, "Communities of practice are emerging in companies that thrive on knowledge." I totally agree with this statement. Knowledge is power and power puts you on top, so it stands to reason that Cops thrive on knowledge gained. Great source.
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    This article from the Harvard Business Review provides a great overview for Communities of Practice and what they look like within the context of larger organizations. There is a great chart comparing CoP with other organizational groups and a good description of the hallmarks of effective CoPs.
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    If you think Communities of Practice or CoPs are just for education, you need to read this article. It gives great examples of non-education based CoPs, including CoPs used in the current business world. In fact, the history of CoPs is traced as far back as ancient Greece in this article. Since this article tends to focus on non-education CoPs, it gives a nice breakdown of how "teams" differ from CoPs. This concept can easily apply to the school setting since many grade levels use team/department approaches for working with students. Looking at the business examples, it's worth noting that CoPs do not just spontaneously start. They take great effort to form and develop.
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    This article from the Harvard Business Review discusses the use of CoPs in the business world. The author compares CoPs with more traditional group collaboration strategies pointing out the positives of Cops and how their use is changing business.
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    Wenger and Snyder examine communities of practice and their implementation in the business and private sectors not necessarily education centric. They provide case studies on the benefits of CoP's which show concrete production improvement demonstrating the CoPs effectiveness. The chart comparing CoP's to teams and informal networks is helpful to understanding the differences.
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    This article discusses communities of practice in a historical sense and provided me with some relevant background information. It also describes the several reasons that communities of practice are formed. Communities of practice, among other things, can be great for "maintaining connections with peers" or can be created for individuals to come together "in response to changes" surrounding them. I recommend this read.
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    While parts of this article were about ways to create and grow CoPs, I found much of this helpful when illustrating CoPs in real workplaces that formed to solve problems by sharing expertise, commonalities, and without disrupting upper-level management.
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    This article from Harvard Business Review explores CoPs which were fairly new to the business scene in 2000. Knowledge sharing, learning, and change were thought to be improved through CoPs, though the creation of CoPs is not a directive from management. CoPs are self created and have their own projects and leadership. The article shares a brief history of CoPs. Noted are the differences between informal networks, project teams, formal work groups, and CoPs - looking at their purpose, membership, bonds, and length of relationships. CoPs are recognized for improving company performance.
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    In this article the author provides an introduction to the concept of communities of practice, describes benefits and utility for business, and strategies for implementation in that context.
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    The highlight of this article for me is that CoPs have to be organic in their organization and management.
Jessica Gake

Communities of Practice: The Organizational Frontier - 5 views

  • Notsolongago,companieswere reinvented by teams.Communities of practicemayreinventthemyetagain –if managers learn to cultivate these fertileorganizational formswithoutdestroyingthem
  • The best way for an executive to assess the valueof a community of practice is by listening to mem-bers’ stories, which can clarify the complex rela-tionships among activities, knowl-edge, and performance.
  • What are communities of practice? In brief,they’re groups of people informally bound togetherby shared expertise and passion for a joint enter-prise
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  • managers cannot mandate communities of prac-tice. Instead, successful managers bring the rightpeople together, provide an infrastructure in whichcommunities can thrive, and measure the commu-nities’ value in nontraditional ways.
  • The strength of communities of practice is self-perpetuating. As they generate knowledge, they re-inforce and renew themselves.
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    This article discusses communities of practice from a business perspective, which I found interesting because CoPs truly to exist in all professions; they aren't strictly and education trend. The merit of CoPs, according to the author, is that people share their experiences and knowledge in free-flowing, creative ways that foster new approaches to solving problems. They discuss the various benefits of CoPs and then examine why they aren't more prevalent, concluding that though the concept has been around for centuries, it hasn't been widely accepted yet and therefore companies (and education) haven't spent a long time cultivating them and helping people learn to effectively develop them. They refer to CoPs as the new frontier and predict that they will become a more and more important part of knowledge acquisition for professionals in the future.
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    Although many organizations create groups that include people of varying specialties to complete specific problems, people are organizing themselves into communities of practice, informal groups who share "expertise and passion" for a common interest. These communities are new to the business world because their spontaneous, informal nature makes them difficult to supervise. Managers cannot mandate communities of practice, they can only create a supportive environment. Members self select based on common interests and perceived advantage. The authors provide examples from Hill's Pet Nutrition and Hewlett-Packard. While communities should not be forced into creation, managers can cultivate them by identifying potential CoPs that will benefit the company's "strategic capabilities", provide infrastructure to them, and assess their value to the business through "nontraditional methods." Business managers need to realize the wealth of potential available to them through communities of practice.
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    Prior to my studies in the Educational Technology program, I had never heard of the term Communities of Practice. Until I read this article, I have only seen research about CoP in education. This article begins by discussing CoP in business, and how long CoP has been around as well its benefits for businesses. I was really surprised to hear how long CoP has been around, you would think more businesses would invest the time to develop them. A couple examples mentioned show that it can take up to a year or more before change is implemented, but the long term benefits are worth it. Also, I noticed that another article broke down information in a table, much like the "Snapshot Comparison" section in this article. This is a nice way to compare things in an easy to read and understandable format.
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    This article, while a bit longer, introduces and explains communities of practice in an in depth and thorough fashion. I enjoyed the comparison to real-life companies organization and the history coming all the way from Ancient Greece. Two of my favorite comments states that communities offer "creative ways that foster new approaches to problems" and "they give you both the golden eggs and golden goose that lays them". It makes me realize how essential deeper understanding and knowledge can be developed within these types of communities. The article also develops an understanding of a comparison chart of different types of work groups to show when using communities of learners are most effective.
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    This is a great resource that focuses specifically on the use of communities of practice in business environments. However, the information is easily transferred to other areas of industry or academia. It addresses the fact that CoPs are different than the traditional approach of working in teams in that their success and usefulness can be difficult to measure. The author gives tips for how to evaluate the success of a CoP through the sytematic gathering of anecdotal evidence.
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    This is a great resource for businesses to gain insights into the use of Communities of Practice. In this article, Wenger and Snyder discuss Communities of Practice and their value for organizations.
Cassie Davenport

Knowledge Networks and Communities of Practice - 2 views

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    This article comes from the OD Practitioner journal, Fall/Winter 2000. This article focuses on the basics of Communities of Practice, defining the dimensions, purpose and changes from knowledge sharing now rather than in the past. This article focuses on the industrial and business world. It shares that knowledge in the past was knowledge was to be horded for power, while today it is to be shared to grow said power "in multiples" (Allee, 2000). The article goes on to share the benefits for everyone as far as the business, community and the individual. I appreciate the call for possible new communities of practice to meet new business community challenges.
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    I like how this article, even though it focuses on the industrial/business world, still has some great applications to the world of education. It's also interesting to find out more about some surrounding groups to CoPs and how they are related. A quote from the article (pay close attention to the last sentence in regards to education) says, "Communities of practice emerge in the social space between project teams and knowledge networks. When multiple project teams are engaged in similar tasks the need to share what they know often will lead to community formation. From the other direction, a loosely organized knowledge network of people who share common interests can gel into a focused community when people recognize new shared opportunities or begin to seek a significant breakthrough. Those who would support communities need to learn what conditions foster their emergence and create an environment in which they can flourish."
carissakane

The Systems Thinker - Communities of Practice: Learning as a Social System - The System... - 12 views

  • You respect your teammates and are accountable to your project managers. But when you face a problem that stretches your knowledge, you turn to people like Jake, Sylvia, and Robert. Even though they work on their own projects in other business units, they are your real colleagues. You all go back many years. They understand the issues you face and will explore new ideas with you. And even Julie, who now works for one of your suppliers, is only a phone call away. These are the people with whom you can discuss the latest developments in the field and troubleshoot each other’s most difficult design challenges.
  • What it is about: its joint enterprise as understood and continually renegotiated by its members How it functions: the relationships of mutual engagement that bind members together into a social entity What capability it has produced: the shared repertoire of communal resources (routines, sensibilities, artifacts, vocabulary, styles, etc.) that members have developed over time.
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    This article talks about how communities of practice are all around us and that more than likely, everyone is in multiple groups or communities. It also discusses how knowledge is what holds the communities together rather than tasks doing so like on a team. As it explains what a community of practice is, it also goes into how to develop the community as well as how to maintain it. To help a community of practice to succeed, it says no member needs to be on the outside of the community, but for all members to be fully inside the community and fully committed.
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    @mskmjohnson Great article! I particularly like the focus on a CoP vs. a team and the practical information on maintaining a CoP
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    This in-depth overview discusses CoPs covers their roles in organizations like other articles, but it also talks about where the can be found and their differences than teams, businesses, networks, etc- offering a definition more by what it is not. The stages of development image helped me better understand the foundation of a CoP.
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    Etienne Wenger explains the importance of Communities of Practice. Wenger states that communities are everywhere and most people are involved in a community of practice. Communities of practice are different than a community of interest or geographical communities because of three elements. The three elements are what it is about, how it functions, and what capability it has produced. The community of practice can be within businesses, across business units, or even across company boundaries. All "communities of practice move through various stages of development characterized by different levels of interaction among the members and different kinds of activities."
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    Article by Wegner explaining CoPs that has a couple of great graphics of what it means to be in a CoP, how to develop them, and how they relate to organizations
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    I really like how this article connects the idea of CoP to things other than education. It is a 21st century skill that we can teach our students and have them continue to use even after their formal education is complete.
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    Sometimes we teachers get ourselves stuck on the idea that we are clearly the only profession out there in the world when we are researching topics like CoPs. However, this isn't the case, and I really appreciate that this resource outlines the idea of communities of practice as far reaching and for more than just teachers. It comes back to the community. Without the community, there is no practice.
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    This article goes beyond the basic definitions of CoPs as it provides where communities can be found and the importance of CoPs to organizations and offers suggestions to develop and nurture CoPs.
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    For me it is easy to think of CoPs in education but I liked looking at them in other organizations. Thinking about how to keep them going was interesting. Things like legitimizing participation seems obvious but can really make or break a CoP.
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    This article begins by describing three different communities of practice, but not how one would traditionally think of them. A "community of practice" for myself on a personal level would not necessarily have to be the other middle school teachers in my building, but could involve the elementary art teacher I am friends with. The more I read about these communities of practice the more they are sounding like "like-minded people who talk about stuff they have in common." There is a neat little graph describing five stages of development of these communities.
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    This page offers different wording and definitions of PLNs.
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    This article talks about Communities of Practice and how they differ from PLN. COP have a centralized theme, how they function depend on the sophistication and functionality of the group as a whole.
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    It is nice to see how communities of practice are used in areas outside of education. I feel this really highlights the importance of them beyond the theoretical value and into real-world application.
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    This article provides characteristics of communities of practice and examples of where they can be seen but what stood out to me as being useful information is how to keep CoP's productive and "nurtured." The focus of implementing CoP's is not in education but rather business; however, the information is still relevant and applicable.
block_chain_

Online Degree™ - Blockchain for Business | Blockchain Council - 0 views

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    Online Degree- Blockchain for Business will provide you with the essential skills to leverage blockchain for increasing business potential.
vanessa botts

Personal Learning Networks: Knowledge Sharing as Democracy | Open Education | HYBRID PE... - 0 views

  • instead constructed from knowledge distributed across networks and on the Web.
  • r assistive guides for self-directed learners—work to develop the fluency required to succeed in these spaces.
  • there is also evidence suggesting social communication strengthens human relationships, particularly for introverts, and has benefitted families, youth and businesses around the world.
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  • The PLN consists of relationships between individuals where the goal is   enhancement of mutual learning
  • The currency of the PLN is learning in the form of feedback, insights, documentation, new contacts, or new business opportunities. It is based on reciprocity and a level of trust that each party is actively seeking value-added information for the other.
  • Underlying the development of a PLN is the need for individual learners to be able to have the capacity for self-direction, which requires a higher level of learning maturity—an absence of which may represent a barrier for a percentage of adults to learn in this way.
  • play an important role in creating richness within a PLN, too. Learners who store important information in Web 2.0 tools such as wikis, blogs, microblogs, social bookmarking and on other platforms create quickly accessible resources.
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    Seamon states in this article that there is evidence that social communication (PLN) can strengthen human relationships, particularly for introverts. It may help foster family and business as well. It encompasses learning from feedback, insights, new contacts, and is based in reciprocity and trust. It is needed to increase the chance of higher levels of learning maturity.
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    The author addresses concerns about the feelings of isolation that can stem from the use of technology (in the sense that it is utilized to the exclusion of in-person connections) but makes sure to point out the benefits of technology as evidenced by Personal Learning Networks.
Jason Marconi

Communities of Practice the Organizational Frontier - 4 views

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    By: Eitenne C. Wenger and William M. Snyder Wenger, E. C., & Snyder, W. M. (2000). Communities of practice: The organizational frontier. Harvard business review, 78(1), 139-146. The first article I started with was a Harvard Business review entry regarding communities of practice within organizations. While my other articles focused on the education world and describe actions within the social environment, this article took a different approach in explaining the inner workings CofP's play in the office. The fundamental meaning communities of practice represent go unchanged, but it is interesting that this article puts a table and explanation for the differences other office groups represent, such as an informal network, project team, and formal work group. This distinction allows for other varied communities of practice to be represented. Such as the education field and social psychology. Wenger and Snyder then take the article one step further by explaining the uses of CoPs for management and how to facilitate their growth for strong company cultures.
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    This article is great that CoPs and PLNs (PLEs) build upon one another to drive a foundational strategy. The primary group might only be a few people but will continue to build to the point that the entire organization is involved. I also think it is important to discuss how this is utilized not only in education but also in business (or other fields). Great pick Jason!
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    I liked some of the real world examples for benefits of CoP's. The story of the technician who came up with the pneumatic tube idea that was ulitmately adopted because of support from his fellow technicians was really cool to hear.
aschurg

simCEO - Create your business. Manage your investments. Outperform the market. - 0 views

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    simCEO is an effective learning resource that allows students to create companies, research each other's business plans and trade shares in companies to dynamically change prices.
jdprance

Biz Kids | The place where kids teach kids about money and business. - 0 views

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    Biz Kids is a great website that provides business education resources and lesson plans for all age groups.
kcastello

Communities of Practice: The Organizational Frontier - 2 views

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    This article from Harvard Business School talks about the history of CoP and how they have been around for a very long time but only now are being seen as having a positive impact on work.
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    This is an excerpt from an article titled "Communities of Practice: The Organizational Frontier" from the Harvard Business Review. While it is primarily from a business perspective, it explains and gives examples of what Communities of Practice (CoP) that are quite easy to understand. It is put simply by saying "they're groups of people informally bound together by shared expertise and passion for a joint enterprise." They can meet physically or online and can meet regularly or not. Another important aspect that is addressed is that the CoPs can for spontaneously and therefore can be difficult to supervise and interfere with. This is an important aspect to address in terms of education and trying to form these communities within a classroom setting. In the end a snapshot is given to compare CoPs with other forms of organization.
Scott McKee

Community of Practice - 8 views

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    By Etienne Wenger, this site offers her defintion and categorization of communities of practice.
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    This site explains in plain terms communities of practice. For example, it explains that a community of practice is not just a club. It is a group of people who are committed to a certain domain of interest.
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    This was a concise, but well written overview of the definition of communities of practice.
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    Communities of practice are used across a variety of groups of people. According to Etienne Wenger, there are three characteristics that constitute a community of practice: domain, community, and practice. Communities of practice exist on small local scales, to worldwide networks. This allows people to share and obtain knowledge about common practices with others who are actively engaged in the same domain.
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    Allows the reader to determine the general guidelines to what a community of practice is. Cites examples ranging from artists seeking transformation to surgeons trying to discover new methods. The article is very simple, yet effective in describing a community of practice.
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    by Etienne Wenger CoPs are formed by people who are engaged and interested in common domains. These can be done in many domains as long as there is an underlying interest. CoPs provide a new way to learn from one another in a safe environment. All members take responsibility with their members to access knowledge while sharing new ideas.
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    In this article, Wenger provides a quick overview of what a Community of Practice is. I like how she discusses the three components of a CoP and gives an example of what is not considered a CoP in each component. She addresses that just because something is a community, doesn't make it a Community of Practice. She also discusses where the concept of a CoP is being applied. It is helpful to see that it is being applied in many different fields including: education, government, organizational design, and businesses.
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    This website, from the National Center for Dissemination of Disabilities Research, identifies 3 characteristics of strong communities of practice: the domain, the community, and the practice. It briefly identifies what makes COPs unique and identifies specific applications. There are additional links in the sidebar that provide more information about COPs and prompts for further research.
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    This article gives an overview as to what communities of practice CoP are. It describes the characteristics of CoP: domain, community, and practice. The article stresses that CoP are not just like-minded people, but they are where people can interact with others to learn with and from others. CoP rely on active participation. Sharing and learning are at the heart of CoP.
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    Provides a good, crisp explanation of CoP. This is more of a recap, but sometimes saying something in another way helps to get the point across better. What I particularly liked about this one is that it emphasizes how these communities interact based on a passion that they'd like to learn more about or to improve skills.
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    This article discusses communities of practice in a very understandable, clear way. It describes communities of practice as individuals working together in collaboration with a common goal, or passion, in mind. I feel that one of the most vital parts of my job as an educator is to collaborate with other teachers about best practices to use in the classroom. It was fun to read this informative article!
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    This is a great overview of Communities of Practice. I appreciate that it distinguishes between a community and a community of practice because "not every community is a community of practice." I also appreciate that it gives where the concept can be applied.
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    The article provides a definition of communities of practice and gives examples of these communities. It also gives the three "crucial" characteristics of communities of practice.
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    Wenger's excerpt focuses on a crucial aspect of CoPs - the difference between a community and a CoP. Wenger outlines the three characteristics of a CoP and the role each plays in executing a CoP. (1) The domain in a CoP is not just a group of people. It is a network of people with similar interests and commitment to the growth of that interest. (2) A community engages, shares, and collaborates in order to learn from one another. (3) The practice of a CoP involves creation. The members act as "practitioners" that develop and share over time and through continuous interaction.
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    This article discusses how the community of practice is a shared domain between its members or those who engage in the community. It also says not all communities are all communities of practice. To explain that, it lists the three important parts that help show it is a community of practice. It states those parts are the domain, the community, and the practice. With that, it explains that all three should be developed within the community itself.
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    The author of this article explains that a community of practice is more than just a community. Communities of practice have to have three elements. The three elements are the domain, the community, and the practice. The domain is a shared interest. The community is people engaging in joint activities and discussions while helping each other and sharing information. The practice is the members of practice are practitioners. Communities of practice are being applied in business, organizational design, government, education, etc. Communities of practice have become a learning system throughout the entire world. They help practitioners take responsibility for managing knowledge, create a direct link between learning and performance, and create connections without formal structures.
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    Kayden, what a great site and explanation of communities of practice. I particularly like the distinct description of what a community of practice is including what it is not!
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    This site gives an outline of three factors that make a community one of practice vs. a non-specific group of people. The domain, community, and practice all combine to create a community of practice. The site then goes to explain where the concept of a community of practice is applied furthering the idea of "practice," as well as why they are catching on in workplaces and organizations.
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    An introduction to and application for communities of practice.
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    This article provides a simple definition of the term - "Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and who interact regularly to learn how to do it better." Businesses, organizational design, government, educational, professional associations, civic life and development projects use the concept of community of practice to focus on people and the social structures that enable people to learn from each other.
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    This article focuses on defining communities of practice and includes several examples. I like that they break up the words and meaning to simplify and better understand the meaning and benefits of communities of practice. For example, we might live in a community neighborhood, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we live in a "community of practice."
Scott McKee

Communities of Practice: The Organizational Frontier - 6 views

This was a great article on Communities of Practice. This week, I have really enjoyed understanding more clearly exactly what that means. I really liked the simplicity of Wenger's definition. "they...

emergingtechnology informallearning CoP communityofpractice organizationalform

Jana Warner

Communities of Practice: The Organizational Frontier - 1 views

https://hbr.org/2000/01/communities-of-practice-the-organizational-frontier I found this article and I was intrigued because it is an article explaining COP's and the use of them in an organizatio...

EdTech543 COP's organizations resources

started by Jana Warner on 05 Sep 16 no follow-up yet
froggy_carma

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/1317.html - 1 views

This article from Harvard Business School talks about the history of CoP and how they have been around for a very long time but only now are being seen as having a positive impact on work.

edtech543 community business

started by froggy_carma on 03 Sep 16 no follow-up yet
Kristen Taubman

Personal Learning Networks: Using the Power of Connections to Transform ... - Will Rich... - 1 views

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    This is a more atypical resource for our assignment but I felt that it was very appropriate for many of my K-12 peers. This text discusses the history of PLN and how educators must use PLN as a part of their learning tool kit today. Both authors are educators as well as business men who ofter a mix of experience in their attempt to convince you that PLNs are one of the major ways to captivate and engage students in the learning process.
Gretel Patch

John Dewey's "Democracy and Education" - 0 views

  • Education is thus a fostering, a nurturing, a cultivating, process
  • Etymologically, the word education means just a process of leading or bringing up. When we have the outcome of the process in mind, we speak of education as shaping, forming, molding activity -- that is, a shaping into the standard form of social activity
  • A being connected with other beings cannot perform his own activities without taking the activities of others into account
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  • We might as well try to imagine a business man doing business, buying and selling, all by himself, as to conceive it possible to define the activities of an individual in terms of his isolated actions
  • he social medium neither implants certain desires and ideas directly, nor yet merely establishes certain purely muscular habits of action, like "instinctively" winking or dodging a blow
  • Making the individual a sharer or partner in the associated activity so that he feels its success as his success, its failure as his failure, is the completing step
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    This 1916 Dewey classic is packed with theory. He covers the fundamental meaning of education as a collective process that involves one's own experiences and the experiences of others. No one is an island when it comes to learning and sharing experiences.
Russell Nash

Social Media as the Missing Link: Connecting Communities of Practice to Business Strategy - 1 views

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    Presents communities of practice as knowledge management mechanisms, especially in geographically distributed situations. Mostly focused on application in business strategy.
David Rattner

Obama on computers - 1 views

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    In this Bloomberg's Business Week article, Aaron Ricadela explores the Obama push to increase the number of computers available to students in America.
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    It's great to see that Obama wants to increase student access to computers but we all know that computers are just a tool. Hopefully he understands the need to provide PD to teachers so that they can use the computers effectively. The worst thing that could happen would be to purchase all the computers and have them sit in the corner with nobody using them.
Cassie Davenport

Effective Virtual Teams through Communities of Practice - 1 views

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    This study explores the pitfalls of virtual teams within the business world. While I realize this paper doesn't focus on schools specifically it still applies in its exploration of communities of practice. This paper follows a few case studies while it explores virtual teams rather than teams working in the same space or building. Traditionally, virtual teams, have more challenges and communities of practice are introduced as a way to help overcome these challenges. Communities of practice are also defined and stages of participation are explored.
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